Seeing the seasons turn
by Cobalt1
Summary: A short piece dealing with a possible future.


C&C to Flames to the bit bucket.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the series depicted within, but go buy it  
anyway.  
  
A Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki fic  
  
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Seeing the seasons turn  
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Tenchi tiredly finished sweeping off the steps to his shrine, feeling  
all his years pressing down on him. He was still quite healthy for his  
grand old age of 82. His Juraian blood he supposed.  
He had seen things in that time. He had watched Sasami grow into the  
beautiful young lady she was destined to be, had seen the assimilation  
of her and her homeworld's goddess.  
He had watched the ladies leave upon hearing of the Emperor's  
proclamation that non-natives were banned from Earth.  
He had seen his grandfather die from cancer, and his father from old  
age.  
He had beheld the Charter Wars that forged the first true World  
government and helped where he could.  
Now, it was time for him to see an event he knew would come.  
First Contact.  
~ Now I didn't think this would happen in my lifetime. ~ He mused,  
straightening up.  
"What can I do for you miss?" He asked turning around.  
There before him stood a beautiful young woman with sky blue hair tied  
in two long ponytails, her wide pink eyes tearing. He recognised her,  
of course.  
"T..tenchi?" She whispered.  
"It has been a while, hasn't it?" He replied.  
The woman took a step, then two. Then she threw herself around him in  
a hug.  
"Oh Tenchi..." She sobbed. "We missed you."  
"Easy now." He ground out. "I'm an old man now. We're delicate."  
"I should have come when I felt Yosho passing away." She cried  
quietly. "But nothing seemed to go right." She looked up, gazing  
through his glasses. "Now you're so old."  
"Time comes to us all Tsunami...Sasami-chan." He corrected.  
  
***  
  
"So how is everybody?" Tenchi asked as he poured the tea.  
"As well as could be expected." Sasami didn't have to add 'after you  
broke our hearts'. "Mihoshi's avoiding central command still. She's  
doing quite well, she made Major 3 years ago."  
"She grew out of her klutzy spell then?"  
Sasami blinked. Tenchi smiled at her surprise.  
"I got to thinking about 30 or so years ago about it, seeing as Kagato  
said she had had a good record. Maybe her race had multiple stages of  
development, like a butterfly or something, and she was going through a  
transition between stages."  
Sasami hid her reaction to him revealing that he'd been smarter than  
he had let on. The feeling of loss began to hurt once again.  
"Washu is still doing her experiments. She's served two independent  
terms as Director of the Science Academy." The blue-hared woman's look  
turned sly. "She often laments about not getting that 'sample' from  
you."  
Tenchi chuckled.  
"Everything did seem to go against her, didn't it? Not that I  
minded."  
Sasami took a deep breath. The next bit might get personal.  
"Ryoko joined the Royal Bodyguard. Fastest climb up the ranks Mom's  
ever seen. She earned each and every one. She's...seeing someone."  
"Good for her." Tenchi said happily. "I hoped she would find  
someone."  
~ So open hearted... ~ Sasami thought fondly.  
"Yeah well, SHE is a bounty hunter. Ryoko was the only person to ever  
get away from her."  
"She finally caught her though." Sasami gaped at him. He laughed.  
"I was shy back then, not naive." He paused and considered. "Although  
I wonder how many of the sparing matches she had with your sister ended  
up with a different kind of sparing."  
Tenchi's gentle chuckles did nothing to help ease Sasami's blush. It  
took her a few minutes to get herself under control.  
~ Here comes the bad bit. ~ She thought.  
"Ayeka... Ayeka met someone while on diplomatic duty. They got close  
and..."  
"How long have they...?"  
"Ten years. They have a daughter. A pretty green-hared young thing.  
She's an absolute terror in the palace."  
"She annoys her relatives no end I see." Tenchi said with a smile.  
Sasami let out a exaggerated, but heartfelt groan.  
"You have no idea."  
The two of them shared a warm look.  
"And yourself?"  
"Busy."  
Tenchi nodded. She had described her link to the Royal Trees, shortly  
after being assimilated with Tsunami, as like being in a hundred  
different places at once with two minds. They'd tossed around a few  
ideas to lessen her workload before the ladies had left, but he didn't  
know if they'd been any help.  
"How have you been Tenchi?" She asked.  
"Alright I suppose. Helped out a bit during the Charter Wars.  
Nothing important." He turned to look out the window. "I never found  
someone Sasami. After I took over the shrine...well..." Sasami felt  
her heart go out to him again. "Taro's son is set to take over once I  
am gone. I can't say I had a bad life."  
They sat there in silence for a while before Sasami got up and walked  
round to gently hug him from behind.  
"We're all here for the First Contact ceremony. You're invited you  
know."  
Tenchi gave a bitter laugh.  
"Sorry, but I can't."  
"Why?" Sasami asked, puzzled.  
"During the Charter Wars, I was helping with some aid agencies. A  
reporter decided to do a report from the camp I was at. In his hunt for  
glory, he claimed that the camp was hiding a supply depot for one side.  
The other side attacked, and we barely got out of that situation without  
loss of life. The arrogant bastard tried to interview me afterwards."  
He grinned a feral grin. "I knocked him out on international  
television. He got a court order preventing me from being within 200  
metres of him." He sighed. "He's a senator now, and he's going to be  
there."  
Sasami allowed herself a chuckle.  
"That seems just like you. Not what I would have expected, but just  
like you." She leaned into his back. "You know, Mom and Aunt Funaho  
never really forgave Father for his proclamation. They're planning on  
visiting tomorrow."  
"I would prefer they didn't. I would have preferred you not visiting  
honestly. I didn't want you to spoil your memories."  
"Never." Sasami whispered. "Those memories will never be spoiled.  
You're still quite handsome."  
"Flattery will get you nowhere young lady." Tenchi said mock-  
severely. Sasami giggled.  
"I'm older than you remember?" She laughed. "But thanks for the  
compliment."  
The two friends sat there, looking out the window.  
  
----------  
  
OK, I was in an odd mood when I did this. The idea behind it was Tenchi  
encountering his friends again after a long absence, and it had been  
percolating in my brain for a long time. Hopefully it works. 


End file.
